The Senate today did the right thing by passing the hate crimes
legislation sponsored by Senator Kennedy. This is really a victory for
the American people -- because Americans stand for decency, for
tolerance, and for goodness. Hate crimes hurt the heart of America, the
faith that we are one people with common values and a higher vision.

Hate crimes are fundamentally different from all other crimes. They
are more likely to involve assault and are much more likely to be
perpetrated against a complete stranger. Their very intent is to
marginalize, dehumanize, and intimidate an entire group of people. That
is why, no matter who is victimized, crimes motivated by hatred should
be treated differently under the law. Today's vote is an important step
in making sure they are.

This legislation sends an unmistakable message: If you commit a hate
crime, we will find you, we will punish you -- and we will bring the
full weight of the federal government to bear in doing so. I commend
the 42 senate co-sponsors of this measure, who worked in a bipartisan
way to pass this important piece of legislation.